Russia
'About Russia' '''Russia '''is a state in northern Eurasia. It shares borders with Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland. Russia is also the world largest country covering more than a ninth of the worlds land area and also the ninth most populus nation. The flag is made up of White, blue, and red bands. Until 1991, Russia was part of the former Soviet Union and the flag only had a hammer and a sicle on a red background. On March 2, 2008 Dmitry Medvedev was elected the president of Russia. The Land Three of Russia's rivers, the Ob, Yenisey, and Lena are so wide that when you stand on a bank, you can not see the other side! Russia has six rivers surrounding Russia. They are the Black, Caspian, Baltic, Barents, Okhotsk, and the Sea of Japan. ﻿Russia's climate varies dramatically from region to region. During Winter, in the northern and eastern parts, the tempetature decreases to as low as -90 degrees fahrenheit, or -68 Celcius! Summer temperatures rise as high as 109 degrees fahrenheit or 43 celcius in Southern Russia. In the Artic North the sun in the summer does not set for a few weeks. This time is called the White Nights. Also, the weather is quite enjoyable in the spring and autumn months. Forests cover large areas of Russia, but in northern Russia, the weather is too cold for plants and animals to survive. A favorite animal of the Russains is the black bear, which is also the national mascot. Found mainly in the western forests, it is sometimes called "The Master of the Forests." Antelopes, weasels, seals, and many other animals can be found in Russia. History In the ninth century, the Vikings (people from Scandinavia) conquered territories now known as Russia, the Ukrane, and Belarus. They called the country Rus. In the thirteenth century, the Mongols from Mongolia invaded and took control of Rus. They ruled Rus until the fifteenth century. In the fifteenth century, Viking rulers drove the Mongols off the land and established National Independance for Rus. Ivan IV, also know as Ivan the Terrible, became the first Tsar. Ivan ruled from 1533-1584 and expanded the Russain empire. In 1613, a tsar named Michael Romanov began a dynasty that ruled until the year of 1917. In that year, the rebels forced Nicholas II, which was Russia's final emperor to give up his title to the throne. The rebels who overthrew Nicholas II in 1917 set up a parliament, and a minority party which was called the Bolsheviks took power. The Bolsheviks' leader, Vladimir Lenin, was a communist, which he believed that all people are equal. During the 1920s, the communist Union of Soviet Socialist Republics or known as the U.S.S.R. only consisted of the present day Russia, Ukraine, Belorussia, and Transcaucasia was formed. Space Russia got the first person in space. His name was Yuri Gargarin, and he went up in a vehicle called the Vostok 1. In Russian, Vostok means Orient. Facts ﻿ *Population: 141,927,297 *Life Expectancy: 66.16 *The capital of Russia is Moscow *The currency is called Ruble. *Russia is twice the size of the United States. *Most of the people there speak Russian and have accents. Category:Places